Why Wes Bentley's 'Hunger Games' Beard Drew Stares Off Set

Elizabeth Banks wasn’t the only one with a crazy Hunger Games beauty routine: Wes Bentley’s facial hair — required to play head gamemaker Seneca Crane in film — took three hours for makeup artist Ve Neill to sculpt each day.

“It’s my [hair],” Bentley revealed to PEOPLE at a recent Los Angeles press day for the film. “I showed up with a beard — as I always do — to set, and [makeup artist Ve Neill, who then created the pattern] was excited to see that.”

The detailed look reflects the avant-garde style beloved by citizens of the Capitol in the world of the Hunger Games. “It’s definitely that high-fashion look,” Bentley added.

While the beard’s futuristic design certainly fit in with the film’s stylized setting, it was less suited to rural North Carolina, where the cast and crew shot.

“I had my child in town and would have to go pick up some baby formula at Target at two in the morning or stop in a gas station for a candy bar in the middle of rural Carolina,” Bentley said. “I got crazy looks at Target and the gas station, but at Walmart, they didn’t blink an eye … I don’t know what they assumed.”

While the locals may not have known what to make of the actor’s odd appearance, one onlooker was definitely a fan: Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins.

“I know that she loved the beard when she saw it,” Bentley said. “So I was happy about that.”

But don’t expect the actor to make his character’s facial hair permanent. “Oh man, I couldn’t do it,” he said. “I’ve tried just to shape my beard so it doesn’t look scraggly, and I struggle with that.”